My Other Half (Thalia & Nico)
by Stellee123
Summary: What happens when you mix the world's two most mischievous, daring, bold Demigods? Thalia, daughter of Zeus, and Nico, son of Hades, are sure to leave their mark when combined. Add in a sprinkle of surprise and drama, and you have the perfect disaster. - Thalico story. Rated T for language and mild adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi [:**

**So, you probably don't know this, but I am a HUGE Thalico shipper! I just love Thalia and Nico together. They just seem to complete each other. Because of that, I decided to write another story, this time for them. It's based after the Last Olympian. (ironically like everything I've ever written for Percy Jackson.) Just to clear up a bit of confusion I might cause, ages had been tweaked for Thalia and Nico. Nico is 17 and Thalia is 19. Don't think I'm creepy, okay? Because I probably will seem so in a few chapters. (;**

**Hope you like it. Review, please!**  
**Merry Christmas!**

Thalia's POV

How did I end up here?

I sat in my car, staring into the dark night, for about five minutes, thinking that repeatedly.

It was the dead of night. My clock assured that the time was 1:58 AM on Tuesday, July 8th. And here I was, in distressed short shorts, a tight black tank top tucked in, a skull belt, and converse. The humidity was already beginning to make my freshly straightened hair wave after the short time of no air condition. I sighed and got out of my glossy black car, slowly turning to stare up at the towering apartment building.

Lights from windows broke through into the slate coloured night and a cool breeze roused goosebumps on my arms. I rubbed them, careful not to scratch myself with my long, black painted nails.

My shoes made soft padding noises as I walked into the building and to the stairs. I went up to the third floor and found apartment 301.

I was shaking as I reached up to knock on the door.

'Damn, Thals. There's no way in Hades you're scared. Pull it together.' I thought to myself and knocked once.

The sound of cussing made me smile warily and the door was yanked open to reveal a scowling Nico DiAngelo. His eyes widened at the sight of me.

"Hi," I said awkwardly, crossing my arms over my shirt.

"Thalia. What are you doing here?" He asked in a monotone. Then, probably because of the weird look between hurt and I-will-violently-kill-you that passed my face, or maybe even because a somewhat intelligent thought passed through his vacant and mentally confused brain, Nico realised he had said something wrong.

"That's not what I meant — I um..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

I nodded. "It's fine. Could I come in?" I asked cautiously, sneaking a glance into his dark-as-death eyes.

"Yeah, sure." Nico said a bit more calmly and stepped back, opening the door wider.

Mumbling a thanks, I walked in and inspected the mini-underworld. Nico's apartment was dark themed, to put it simply. Almost everything was 101% black, chrome, or something of that nature. I had to admit, he had good taste in interior.

"Nice place," I murmured, still in a state of impression.

"Thanks." Nico said and grinned slightly at me. I smiled back faintly before looking away.

"Nico," I started. "I have to tell you something."

"Over smoothies?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

That caught me off guard for a moment and I faltered. "What?"

"Tell me over smoothies?" Nico asked.

"Sure, I guess." I said and followed him into the kitchen. Nico got out a black (huge surprise) blender and some fruit while I spooned out yogurt and poured in a bit of juice. We chopped up pineapple, strawberries, bananas, and kiwi and put it in. Nico put the top on and blended it all together.

We poured the smoothies and sat down on the floor in the living room. No lights were on, so it was only the TV's bright glow that cast shadows around us. I sipped my smoothie through a bendy straw and thought about how to word my situation.

"Artemis threw me out." I said before I could stop myself.

Nico didn't look surprised. I didn't know to what, though. I would have taken offence if he wasn't surprised my lady had kicked me out of the hunt, but there was also the factor that he was used to me getting straight to the point.

"Why?" He asked, looking over at me as I leaned back against the sofa, crossing my legs.

"Because I..." Was all I could say.

Nico waited for me to finish and I forced myself to tell him. "I accidentally kind of maybe destroyed a marble statue of her..."

Nico almost chocked on his smoothie. I think he was trying not to laugh.

"This is so not funny, Death Boy!" I said, scowling at him as he regained his composure.

He nodded. "I know, sorry, Thals. But how the hell did you 'Accidentally kind of maybe destroy a statue of Artemis?'"

"We were in Olympus. One of the girls was seriously getting on my nerves. She's so damn annoying! Anyway, I was fed up with her. We were walking past Artemis' statue, and I suddenly unleashed my daughter of Zeus wrath on her. A huge electric lightning aura blazed off of me and completely fried the statue. It was in ashes and smoking. Artemis was obviously not amused. She was so miffed. I guess I would be too if my best lieutenant had destroyed a sacred statue of me..." I said, trailing off at the end.

Nico looked at me seriously and was quiet for a few moments. "Wow. I mean — sorry. That really sucks."

I shrugged. "Yeah, it does. But honestly, I think I'm happier now that I'm out of the hunt. It got rid of that horrible girl bothering me."

"You mean your inner self?" Nico said like a smart ass. I was sitting on him in a second, my knife blade pointed into his chest.

"Gods, Thalia, I was just kidding." He said and I removed the blade, still a bit irritated.

"Nico DiAngelo, you are a jerk." I told him, pretending to be mad. He didn't buy it, though, and just smirked at me. "I know. Now can you get off of me so I can sit up?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry." I said as I moved and sat in his lap. "But you're not getting away that easy. I'm staying right here as your punishment."

"Who said it was a punishment?" Nico said like the perv he is.

I resisted the urge to slap the Hades out of him and settled on an eye roll. "Let's just watch a movie." I said.

"Works for me." Nico said and picked up remote, switching to Netflix. We ended up watching 21 Jump Street, my favourite movie, and sipping smoothies. At some point, I had leaned back against Nico. His arms went around my waist naturally and when I noticed this about half way through the movie, I didn't really mind.

Both Nico and I ended up rolling around on the floor laughing, yelling at the idiotic parts, and choking on our smoothies when something funny happened while we were taking a drink.

The movie ended all too soon and I stood up, stretching. I probably wouldn't have admitted it then, but I was just a bit reluctant to have to leave.

"Well, this was an interesting night." I said, grabbing my car keys. "Thanks for everything, Nico." I smiled, heading to the door.

He followed me, a look of confusion on his face. I thought it looked good on his darkly accented features. "Where are you staying, Thalia?" He asked me.

Shit. I had not thought about that. "Um, I know someone nearby..." I lied slowly.

Nico shook his head. He wasn't as thick as I thought. "Stay here," he insisted.

I looked at him doubtfully. "You sure? I don't want to get in the way." I said.

Nico rolled his eyes. "We're friends aren't we?"

I nodded. "We are." I said surely.

"That's what friends are for, then!" Nico teased cheekily and I lightly punched his arm, laughing.

Ten minutes later I stood in the guest room, brushing out my just-above-shoulder length choppy hair that I had had layered and thinned as it progressed to the tips. I sang one of my favourite songs, 21 Guns by Green Day, softly as I worked.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice spoke. "You're an amazing singer, you know. Especially when you're signing a song from one of the most amazing bass of all time."

I looked away from the mirror, a bit startled, and saw Nico standing in the doorway. His hands were shoved in his jeans pockets and he smiled crookedly at me. Maybe I was just warm, but I felt my cheeks flush.

"Thanks, Mr. Stalker." I joked, putting down my brush. I sat down on the bed and laid back with my arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling.

"I try my best." Nico said as he smirked.

A small silence followed until I broke it. "So, how are things at camp?"

The hunters hadn't visited Camp Half-Blood in nearly a year, and I didn't hear much from Annabeth or Percy because they were always busy.

Nico shrugged and came over, laying next to me on his back. We were motionless for a few moments, just lost in our own thoughts.

"Tons of new Demigods are arriving daily. You've heard of the Gods' promise to claim their children right at 13, right?" Nico said, turning his head to look at me. I glanced at his black eyes that seemed to glow and replied, "yes."

Nico nodded and once again, we were silent.

We must have fallen asleep there, because I woke up with Nico next to me in the morning. We were facing each other, backs curved so our foreheads gently pressed together along with our slightly drawn up knees.

I rolled over and looked at Nico. His toned chest rose and fell gently as he breathed through his slightly open mouth. I had to smile. He looked younger, maybe 14, right now. So innocent.

Realising I had been staring at him for a few long minutes, I looked away, somewhat embarrassed with myself.

Slowly, not wanting to awake him, I slid off the bed and went to the closet. Nico had helped me unpack all of my clothes and I sifted through them now. I picked out a Three Days Grace band t-shirt and white shorts with studs lined on the seams. I showered and changed before drying my hair, brushing it and my teeth, and finally lining my eyes all around with a thin jet-black line of eyeliner. I winged the edges a bit and then was done.

I walked out of the bathroom and to the kitchen. "Morning." Nico said. During my time in the bathroom, he had dressed and then freshened up in his own. His messy hair hung in his eyes as he loosely cooked scrambled eggs.

"Morning." I replied, pouring a glass of juice and sitting at the table.

"What's on your agenda today, Miss Grace?" He asked me, scooping eggs onto two plates and setting one in front of me.

"Nothing really." I said honestly, picking up my fork and eating some eggs.

"Good, because we're going to the beach with Percy, Annabeth, Travis, Connor, and Katie."

"Are we now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yes," Nico replied matter-o-factly, pointing his fork at me.

I shook my head, smiling. "Okay, boss." I teased.

Nico smiled and stood up, taking his empty plate to the sink. "Hurry up and finish. We've got an awesome day ahead of us, Lightning Girl."

"You got it, Death Boy." I replied, laughing.

I think was really beginning to enjoy my stay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Am I the only one who feels like jello around anything that had to do/reminds me of Thalico? ^-^ anyway, I have big plans for Nico and Thals. You'll just have to wait and read to find out. I have a few plot ideas that I can't decide on, so if you have any others, please PM me and maybe I'll use your ideas. (With credit, of course.)**

**This chapter is considerably smaller then my previous one. Sorry! **

**And, guys, don't get used to me updating this frequently. I only am because I spent a lot of one wilting this week when I was without wifi... My chapter uploads may be spaced a week or two. I'll try to upload at least twice a month, okay? **

**Well, here's chapter two!**

Nico's POV

The ride to the beach was a long one, so Thalia and I rocked out to Linkin Park and Sleeping With Sirens while we drove. The music blasted throughout the car, and as Thalia sang, I couldn't help but fall into some sort of trance. She really did have a wonderful voice.

When 'Burn it Down' ended, Thalia paused the music and looked at me. "Guess what?" She said, smiling.

"What?" I asked, glancing at her.

"I got two front row tickets for Linkin Park next week. Rockefeller Plaza." She announced.

"Wow, Thalia, that's great!" I said. "How'd you score such good tickets?"

"I won them on the radio. 25th caller." Thalia looked pretty pleased with herself and I smiled.

"Nice."

"So, are we going?"

"We?" I asked.

"Yeah. You do want to go, right?" She questioned me, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, yeah, that would be awesome. But don't you want to take Annabeth or someone else?"

"Why? They hate all of the music I like. You're just like me with that, though." She said.

I laughed. "Thanks, Thals."

"No problem, Nico."

We arrived at the beach about five minutes later. Annabeth practically threw herself at Thalia and immediately they started to catch up.

"Hey, man." Someone said and I turned to see Percy.

"Hey, Perce. How's it going?" I asked as I got the stuff for the beach out if the car.

"Pretty good." He replied, grinning.

The four of us walked down to the beach and set up. The Stolls and Katie showed up a few minutes after and started tossing a multi coloured beach ball around.

I found myself gawking at Thalia as she pulled off her shirt and shorts, revealing a tight electric blue bikini that match the dip dyed ends of her hair. She looked... How do I put it appropriately?

_Sexy_. That was it.

Percy smirked at me and I looked away, obviously red in the face.

Meanwhile, the Stolls were arguing over whether a dolphin was a fish or a mammal. I rolled my eyes an yelled, "mammal!" To them.

"I told you so!" Travis said, a triumphant look on his face as Connor scowled.

"Travis!" Katie said sharply, glaring at him. That wiped the look right off of him.

I laughed and then heard someone scream. It wasn't a scared or angry scream, but more of a surprised one. I looked over and saw Percy carrying Annabeth over his shoulder into the water and forming a mini hurricane around them.

Thalia smirked and gave Annabeth a thumbs up which Annabeth returned with a much more profound gesture. Thalia just smirked more and waved me over. I walked to her. "Yeah?"

"We're going to play match maker. It looks like Percy and Annabeth are a couple, right? Well they're not. The denial is strong here." She explained.

Thalia had a mischievous glint in her eyes I had seen many times before. She wouldn't stop until Percy and Annabeth were conjoined at the hip. I smirked. "What's the plan?"

"Hey, everyone! It's time to play Spin the Bottle!" Thalia sang out a little too cheerfully.

"Tone it down." I mumbled, which earned me a glare from her.

Everyone mumbled an 'okay' and we sat in a circle. As Thalia sat down last, she passed around 'friendship necklaces.' Annabeth's had an extremely strong magnet it it, so it would attract the bottle to spin towards him.

"Percy, you're first." I announced, nodding to her.

"What? Why me?!" He asked, frowning.

"Because I said so. Now spin."

Percy mumbled some weird insult under his breath and spun the bottle. Obviously, it landed on Annabeth. Both of them blushed fire red ad sat there, unmoving, while the rest of us smirked. Thalia and I were barely keeping our cool.

"Um..." Percy said, and I could see the panic in his eyes.

"We don't have all day, Perce, just kiss her already." Connor said and Travis nodded in agreement.

Percy looked at Annabeth and she nodded slightly. They both nervously leaned in and he kissed her.

"Score." I whispered to Thalia and she beamed.

It was a little more than we had expected, but soon Annabeth and Percy were wound together, still red, but now from lack of air.

"Get a room!" Travis yelled and the two jumped apart like they had been electrocuted. Then Annabeth smiled shyly as Percy took her hand.

Mission accomplished.

"Katie, now you." Thalia insisted.

Katie bit her lip but didn't protest. She gave the bottle a quick spin and it landed on Travis.

"No way in Hades!" Katie said, her eyes wide.

"It's obviously fate." I said, just to mess with them.

Katie sighed and turned to Travis. "Let's just get this over with." She said quietly.

They shared a small kiss, but I swear Katie smiled just a little afterwards. Nothing compared to Travis' huge grin, though.

"Alright, that's it." Thalia said, taking the bottle and standing up.

"Not everyone went yet." Annabeth pointed out.

"Well, too bad for them." Thalia replied briskly. I glanced at Percy and he shrugged as if to say 'girls.'

After our game of Spin the Bottle, we decided to have lunch. The Stolls built a fire So percy and I could cook over it. Annabeth, Katie, and Thalia got out chips, drinks, and paper plates and cups.

Percy placed a rack over the fire and I used a rings to set out hotdogs. "So, you and Annabeth, huh?" I said.

Percy shrugged. "I guess, I mean..." He looked around and made sure no one was listening. "I really like her and all, but in not sure if she likes me."

I rolled my eyes. "Dude, come on. She was all over you earlier." I reminded him.

Percy grinned at the memory and laughed. "Yeah." He said.

"Are you just going to let her get away? Go do something." I said, pushing her towards the girls who were collecting sea shells.

Percy nodded. "Thanks, man." He said.

"No problem." I said and continued to cook the hotdogs. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Percy approached and asked Annabeth something. She agreed and they began walking away, Percy saying something that was probably seriously socially awkward.

"Nice job."

I looked away from Percy and Annabeth to see Thalia standing in front of me.

"It was all your idea, you know." I said.

"Yeah, but do you really think Percy would have acted on this without you telling him to?"

The girl had a point.

"The hotdogs are on fire." Thalia said.

I looked down. Sure enough, they were all in flames. I must have been distracted a while to let them get like that.

"Damn you." I said and Thalia laughed.

"What did I do?" She asked me innocently.

"You're a huge distraction." I removed the hotdogs one by one, flinging ten into the water. I hoped Poseidon didn't blast me for littering on his turf.

Thalia smiled. "Get used to it." She said.

I watched her walk away. She always left me wondering.


	3. AUTHOR'S NOTE (AN)

**Hey, guys! **

**Sorry it's taking me a long time with chapter three. I have a plot laid out, but it's quite a few chapters in. I've actually never been to a concert, so my writer's block is a bit frustrating for this chapter. I'll try to speed it up and have chapter three uploaded this weekend. If anyone would be interested in giving me some help about concerts (specifically at Rockefeller Plaza), I would really appreciate it! **

**Thanks for understanding. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Happy New Years, everyone!**

**I hope your holidays were spectacular. Mine were pretty good, I must say. There's not much to this author's note, but I am sorry that I didn't upload sooner. D:**

**Enjoy.**

Thalia's POV

The second we had walked into the building, I had known the concert would be wicked.

Fans were everywhere, sporting band wear and carrying signs. They chatted excitedly with their friends and held stacks of CDs and posters in hope they would get them signed. I grinned just looking around.

Nico smiled down at me and gave our tickets to the man behind the counter. He looked them over and then nodded at us. "Go ahead."

My insides squirmed with excitement and I practically dragged Nico in. He laughed and told me to calm myself.

So many people, all alike me! Sure, I loved my friends. But Annabeth was into reading, architecture, and repose. I would rather listen to rock music, draw, and have fun.

We found our seats easily. The view was amazing! I took out my phone and began snapping pre-show pictures, which included a few of Nico and me making weird faces.

Several times I tried to talk to Nico, but he couldn't hear me over the noise. This was the most annoying thing about concerts, in my opinion.

Finally, after about a trillion more people smashed into the plaza, Linkin Park walked on stage. If it was even possible, the volume level increased. Thousands of people crowded towards the stage and I had to grab into the surprisingly strong Nico for support. Even my supernatural strength and agility was no match for this many hyped up mortals.

"Ready?" Nico yelled to me.

"HELL YES!" I yelled back. But he never gave me a chance to finish. Before I knew it, Nico had hitched his arms below my knees and pulled me onto his back. We wove in and out of the crowd towards the stage. My insides felt ready to explore the outside world when we stopped abruptly. I grabbed Nico's shoulders for support so I wouldn't fall and gave myself a second to feel normal again.

"Sorry, should of warned you about that." Nico didn't sound at all sorry, which kind of pissed me off. I could sense the smirk in his words.

"Shut up," was my intelligent reply.

He just smirked more.

An hour and 10 songs later, the concert ended. Nico and I made our way around buying band merch and even getting our CDs signed. That took another hour. Finally, we were both considerably tired and ready to go home. I couldn't lie — that concert had been my favourite. Especially with Nico with me.

The drive back was quiet. I must have dozed off, because when I woke up, Nico's face was an inch from mine and he was shaking me, yelling to wake up.

I opened my eyes slowly and frowned, ready to cuss him out. He was still screaming at me. Then, I heard it.

The loudest, most blood curdling screech that had ever dared to assault my ears.

And the impact was worse. In a millisecond, the car was in the air. I heard Nico yell my name as we crashed towards the ground. Stars flashed and a searing pain shot through my left ankle. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out in pain and tried to get out of the mangled car. I found the shattered window and crawled outside. My hands instinctively flew to the collapsible bow I had in my pocket. I yanked it out and it grew to full size.

There was no time to wonder whether to look for Nico or fight our attacker. I locked eyes on the 10 metre monster in front of me. It had an ugly head with morphing faces of different horrific reptile faces and hundreds of toothpick sharp teeth. Its body was dark blue and slimy. Claws that looked suspiciously like the deadly Stygian iron Nico made his swords out of lined the monster's hands. One blow and the prey were done with.

I saw all of this in about three seconds. After that, it was arrow by arrow whizzing towards the Hell-worthy thing.

Nico was beside me in a flash. He had a long sword brandished in his left hand and a dagger in the other. He and the monster locked into a one on one combat while I prayed to the gods for the best and continued launching volleys.

In what was only ten minutes, but felt like an hour, the monster dissolved into dust. Nico pulled his sword out of its neck and sheathed it. He instantly ran over to me.

"Thalia, are you okay?" He didn't wait for an answer and was already checking my body for wounds. His cold hands brushed my ankle and I felt him tense.

"I'm okay." I insisted, struggling to stand.

Nico took in a sharp breath and shook his head. "No, you're not."

And for the second time that day, he picked me up and carried me. This time bridal style.

"How are you going to carry me all the way to your apartment?" I asked, trying to get out of his strong arms.

"Relax," said Nico, his steely eyes gazing into the distant with a longing look. "We're going to shadow travel."

That's when I felt the coldness trickle over me. I was chilled to the bone and quickly suffocating.

Just as I was accepting my death, Nico's apartment swam into view. I took a deep breath, my head spinning. Nico paid no attention and strode swiftly into the bathroom. He set me in the counter and began rummaging around for medicine and bandages.

I gritted my teeth together as Nico pulled out some bluish salve and applied it to my ankle. The pain was like being stabbed with one thousand burning hot needles. It was all I could do to not ask him to stop.

"Do you have any ambrosia or nectar?" I asked weakly when he put the salve away.

Nico cursed in Ancient Greek. "Yeah, I do. Sorry." He pulled out a container of ambrosia and broke off a few squares for me. As I ate them, I pondered on whether the salve or burning up from too much ambrosia would hurt more.

I trained my eyes on everything but my ankle. Nico bandaged painfully [literally] slow. When he was _finally_ done, I looked up to see him looking straight into my eyes. Instantly I felt intimidated and a lot less confident than usual.

"How do you feel?" he asked me quietly.

"Better." I lied.

"You're the worst liar in history." Said Nico.

I rolled my eyes as all traces of intimidation washed away. "And you're the worst medic in history." I made to jump down from the counter but Nico grabbed my waist and held me firmly in spot. Tingles shot up and down my spine and I shivered at his touch through the thin shirt I was wearing.

"No walking anywhere for a week, Thals."

My jaw dropped. "What?! How am I supposed to do daily things? That's so unfair!"

Nico's eyes flashed and something told me he wasn't succumbing easily. "I don't care if it is fair or not. You are in no shape to walk and you know it!"

His tone of voice surprised me. It was low and menacing; something I hadn't ever heard and, I'll admit it, scared me a little.

Then something changed. The flash of darkness in Nico's eyes faded and he cleared his throat. "I- um, I'm sorry. But I don't want you hurting your ankle any more than it already is."

I sighed in exasperation and crossed my arms over my chest. "What if I use crutches, Death Boy?"

"No," Nico said. His grip on my waist tightened and he spun me sideways. His around wound under my knees again and behind my back, lifting me off the bathroom counter.

"So, are you my main source of transportation now or what?" I asked, annoyed.

"Yes,"

I tilted my head back and glared at the ceiling. "Lovely."

Nico smirked and carried me into the kitchen. "Time for dinner." He announced, kicking a chair out from the table and sitting me in it.

"You're going to cook? Don't complain when the kitchen is burnt to a crisp." I chided in an innocent voice.

Nico rolled his eyes and opened his laptop, which was on the table. "What do you want to eat?" he asked, opening Google Chrome and clicking the search bar.

"Macaroni and Cheese."

"Really, Thalia?"

"Yes, really. Plus, it's all I'm convinced you can make using the stove without killing us."

Nico looked up at me with amusement. "I'm about to prove you wrong then."

Nico worked fast and furiously. At the same time he marinated a steak, the baked potatoes were placed in the oven and cooking. I just sat there like an idiot and watched in awe.

My flaw of wanting to win overcame me and I found myself silently hoping disaster would strike. Not like an explosion as a result of his cooking, but something minor. I knew he would never let me live it down if we ate a beautiful meal and drank wine.

Which was the way things were looking.

Nico finished the steak and placed it on the grill on the balcony to cook. He put two plates, two wine glasses, and silver wear on the table and started a salad. Dread filled my insides as I realised I would most likely have to admit I had been wrong and that Nico could make a nice dinner without destroying the apartment or us.

"Ready to give in yet?" he asked me, smirking and pouring red wine. It hadn't occurred to me that we were both under the drinking age, but I didn't say anything.

"Never. There's still plenty of time for you to screw up royally." I snapped.

"Whatever you say." Nico said. He brought in the steak when it was finished and put it on the table, along with the potatoes, salad, and wine bottle.

"Dish up." He instructed, serving himself.

I piled food onto my plate and hesitantly took a bite. Prepared for the worst, I sent a silent prayer to my dad. But I was so, so wrong. The food was delicious! I think Nico noticed I was drifting to Elysium, because he had to call me name to snap be back into reality.

Nico's smirk was so wide; I thought his face would rip in half. So much for dimming his ego down a little.

"You love it," he said in a low voice. "I'm an _amazing_ cook."

I couldn't take it any longer. "Fine!" I said. "I was wrong and you were right! The food is most amazing. It's flawless. I wouldn't ever trade this for Macaroni and Cheese."

Surprisingly, that's when Nico decided to stop smirking. He simply smiled and lifted his wine glass.

"Cheers to a non ruined kitchen and two almost spot free Demigods." He said.

"Cheers," I said.

We clinked glasses and drank to his words.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey! Not much to say here. Just leaving a small note. :p**

Nico's POV

I was woken rudely by someone screaming at me. At first I thought it was Thalia, but seeing Percy in an Iris Message was quite a disappointment.

"Nico, we need you at camp. Now. There's a mandatory meeting for every Demigod and Chiron insists that you and Thalia come." Percy said quickly. He had a wild look of desperation in his eyes. Behind him, halfbloods ran around screaming things to each other. I frowned. It couldn't be war. Percy would have said if it was... A meeting? That was different.

I let my thoughts slide and nodded tiredly. "Yeah, man. We'll be there in a half hour."

Before Percy could protest and ask us to come sooner, I cut the connection by yelling "Kay, thanks, bye!" Over dramatically.

I sighed, running a hand through my black hair. I showered, dressed, and brushed my teeth. I heard Thalia doing the same down the hall and went to make breakfast.

Despite me insisting, Thalia was walking again. It had been a week since the monster attacked and the ambrosia was really helping. She also claimed that her years as a hunter helped, too, and I didn't doubt that. The girl was like an Olympic Medalist: quick, clever, and agile.

"We have to be at camp in a few minutes." I said as I made breakfast for myself.

Thalia looked up from her cereal in surprise. "We do? Why?"

"I don't know. Percy said there was a mandatory meeting and the place looked pretty hectic."

"Hmm." Thalia said and continued to eat.

After breakfast I took Thalia's hand and we shadow traveled to camp. The sight was such a completely shocking mess that I didn't even notice that our hands were still intertwined.

"Oh my gods." I said and at the same time, Thalia said, "Holy Zeus."

Campers were everywhere. They ran back and forth, armour half-on, yelling like crazy and fighting each other. The weird part was that 90% of them had a glazed look in their eyes. Meanwhile, some weird looking slug-like monsters with rainbow curly hair slithered around, hissing and snapping at people.

Percy jogged up to us, looking slightly relieved. He had cuts on his face and held riptide and the shield Tyson had made him tightly. "Thanks the gods you're here." he said. "That monster," Percy gestured to the slug thing, "has been biting the campers. It's so quick they don't have any time to defend themselves. They're all fighting each other now."

Thalia looked horrified. "Will they be alright?!" She asked, her voice strangely high.

Percy took a deep breath, glancing to his left and knocking a crazed camper out with the hilt of his sword when the camper tried to stab him. "I can't say for sure. Chiron and Mr D are trying to figure out what to do... The gods aren't responding to our calls for help. All we can do now is fight back. Kill the monster."

I stared at him for a few seconds until Thalia nudged me with her elbow. I shook my head and drew my Stygian Iron sword.

"Just don't touch the campers with the blade." Percy warned, glancing at the sword warily.

"Don't worry," I told him, swinging it in a circle by my side.

Percy nodded slightly and ran off to join the few campers that hadn't been bitten that were trying to kill the monster. Thalia drew her dagger and spear and jogged over to join him.

I watched her go, remembering the last time she had fought and gotten hurt. Pushing that thought aside, I tried to fend campers off of each other. A few fell, screaming in pain when someone attacked them and I tried my best to help, but it wasn't easy. There were at least 100 campers affected and more being bitten by the minute.

Some insane zombie demigods tried to advance on me, but I was too quick. I knocked them all out and moved them out of the way of the battles.

Suddenly I got an idea. Channeling all of my power and strength, I summoned a whole skeleton army from a deep fissure that ran in the ground. I ordered the skeletons to keep the halfbloods away from each other but not hurt them. They saluted me and marched off.

I continued what I had been doing for a while and then went over to help Percy, Thalia, and the rest when most of the infected campers were subdued. I saw the monster sink its teeth into Annabeth and Percy ran over to her, yelling her name in a wild panic. Forcing myself to look away. I sliced at the monster and severed one of its legs.

Thalia smiled at me and I couldn't help smiling back. Her hair was messy from the battle and the wind swept through it dramatically. Her electric eyes sparkled when the sun hit them and she looked hot in her tank top and shorts.

We fought side by side for a while, wearing the monster down. Eventually Thalia got a good swing at its head and with a yell of outrage, the slug monster dissolved.

Thalia looked down at herself and grimaced. She was full of monster dust that looked like like green shimmery glitter. "I'm going to go take a shower." She announced.

"Personally, I think it could be a new look for you." I said, smirking.

Thalia rolled her eyes and wiped some of the dust off her face, spreading it on my cheek and then tousling more through my hair. "For you as well." She said, mirroring my smirk, her hands dropping from being tangled in my hair to loosely hanging around my neck.

For some reason my heart sped up and my hands instinctively held her by the waist. She smiled playfully and blew some glitter off her fingertips into my face. Laughing at my shocked expression, she slipped away and walked to the showers.

Percy walked up to me from the Big House where he had been caring for Annabeth in the infirmary. Apparently they had had to sedate her because she was in a murderous rampage as a result of the bite.

"Is it time for that mandatory meeting yet?" I asked jokingly, trying to lift the grave mood.

"Actually, yes." Percy said. "Come on."

We headed back to the living room where Clarisse, Will, Chris, Malcolm, and four demigods I didn't know were slumped in chairs or on the floor. They all looked exhausted.

Percy glanced around and did a silent count of campers. "Thalia?" He questioned, arching an eyebrow at me.

"Showers." I told him, twisting the skull ring on my finger.

"We'll start without her, then." Percy turned to a giant piece of paper tacked to the wall and took out a purple marker. He wrote in all capital letters, 'SOLUTIONS.'

"Chiron got in touch with Apollo. As you should all know, Apollo is the god of medicine." Percy looked at each of us in turn to check for understanding. After his pause, he continued. "Apollo said that their are only three ways to overcome the infectious bite."

Percy drew a large dot under the title. "One – let those affected die." His grip on the marker tightened and a determined look crossed his face, as if the thought was repulsive. Of course, it was, especially for Percy. Annabeth had been bitten, after all. She was dying.

There were murmurs of disagreement and Percy drew another dot. "Two – treat them normally with ambrosia, nectar, and normal mortal care. Here they have a 50% chance of living."

A few more disagreements and a couple agreements.

Percy drew the last dot. "Or three, the most dangerous of all." He turned so that what he was writing wasn't visible to us.

Slowly Percy capped the marker and tossed it aside. He moved away from the paper so everyone could read it. My eyes scanned it quickly. I had to read it over a few times, as my shock didn't allow me to completely register what I was reading.

"Three – retrieve the only known antidote from the underworld." Percy finished quietly.

Everyone was silent. Completely silent. Finally Percy cleared his throat and his eyes found mine. "We do have a child of Hades, though, and I think we should use his consent most of all..."

I stared at him. "From the underworld? Percy, are you insane?" I said in a low voice.

Percy swallowed nervously. "We can't just let them die. Annabeth was bitten! She-she'll die!"

"What about option two?!" I asked, my voice raising a little.

"Option two has a 50% chance of succeeding!" Percy reminded me, fists clenched.

I glared at him. He didn't understand. There was no way anyone besides me could get in and out of the underworld unscathed. Percy had only gotten lucky with the pearls. There weren't any left in the US, now.

"Think about if someone close to you was bitten, Nico." Percy said quietly. "What would you do?"

Instantly Thalia filled my mind. My stomach twisted at the thought of her slipping away as a result of the monster bite. Of course I would help her.

"Fine. I'll do it. But we need a team and a plan."

Half an hour later, we all had a plan laid out. Percy, Clarisse, Thalia, and I would go into the underworld and start operation Find-The-Cure. Personally, I was against anyone coming with me, but they insisted. Thalia hadn't returned from her shower, so she didn't really have any consent, but I figured she would want to come along.

The other campers would tend to those affected, along with a few assistants of Apollo who promised to come help out.

After the meeting was adjourned, I walked to the Zeus Cabin and found Thalia brushing her hair.

"Hey, Thals." I said as I leaned against the door frame.

She looked up and smiled faintly. Maybe she could tell I had some sketchy news.

"What's the deal?" She asked me.

"Well, Apollo gave us three options. One - let them die."

"Tell me that wasn't chosen." Thalia interrupted.

"No."

"Thank the Gods."

I shrugged and continued. "Two - treat them normally with a survival chance of 50%."

Thalia shook her head in disapproval.

"Three - find the only cure."

"That should be easy. So, what was the decision?"

I hesitated and we locked eyes. "Three. We're going to the underworld."


	6. Chapter 5

**I need to ask you all something: **

**Is this story moving too fast, too slow, or is it just right? Please tell me in a review. I do read them all and take what is said into thought. Without reviews, I would have nothing. **

**Personally, I hate this chapter. It's probably going to become my least favourite. This is basically a filler/staller chapter for what's to come in hopefully chapter 6.**

**Anyway, review, please. **

**Thanks**

Thalia's POV:

Standing immobile in front of the dresser, I played absently with the camp beads on my necklace. My eyes slowly moved from the pictures framed and sitting on the polished wood. They flitted to one shot of my younger brother, Jason, and myself. It was about 15 years old, and hurt every time I saw it. The last photo we had taken together.

Everyday I thought bitterly of my mother and how she could have given up one of her children. She was a selfish person and deserved no respect. Not that she got any.

I moved my eyes to the next picture; in it was Luke, Annabeth, and me. We had finished a game of Capture the Flag and won, like always. Back then I had, had no idea how things would change. Luke had become Kronos and then killed himself to save Olympus. Whether he was entitled a hero or not, I tried not to think of it. The memories were excruciatingly painful and unnecessary.

My thoughts were interrupted after that. I was thankful for it, though, because I don't know if I would have been able to keep up my carefully practiced composure.

"Ready?" A familiar monotone voice asked from the doorway of my cabin.

I turned my head slightly and saw Nico leaning against the frame. He had his backpack slung over one shoulder and watched me critically as I finished packing my own backpack.

"As I'll ever be," I said flatly, turning towards him fully.

Slowly he walked forward until we were only inches apart. The air cooled considerably as his deathly aura mixed with my electric one. We were not compatible.

"You don't have to do this, Thalia." Nico said quietly, eyes staring into mine with well-hidden emotion that I hadn't known was even there.

"Annabeth is dying," I countered, looking anywhere but his eyes. "And so is most of this camp, Nico. I'm going."

Then I slipped past him and walked out the door.

Outside I walked towards the pavilion where the group of demigods venturing into the underworld was meeting before we departed. I walked inside and found Percy and Clarisse sitting across from each other, going over the plan again. I joined them and picked up the apple that appeared before me when I wished for it. I bit into the apple and listened to Percy discuss different strategies to finding the cure.

"Do we know where it is?" I asked curiously.

Percy shook his head, not looking up from what he was writing.

"The underworld is huge, and no one knows where it is. Not even Hades. But then again, he wouldn't help us if he did." Clarisse explained, a sharp edge cutting through her tone at the end. She frowned, eyes trained on a fissure in the table as if glaring at it enough would make it disappear.

"Oh-Kay... Well, where are we starting?"

This time Percy looked up to answer me. "Starting? The underworld spans the whole globe. There really is no place to start." He said as if I had asked the stupidest question ever.

I looked away, wondering what his problem was. Then I remembered that his girlfriend was dying as we spoke and felt a swoop of sympathy.

It was at this time that Nico joined us. He walked in and sat beside Percy on the bench, glancing at our plans as he did so.

I watched the way his eyebrows raised a little in consideration and then a slight crease formed in them as he frowned. Part of me felt embarrassed for being so observational, and the other part didn't care.

"We should go soon." Nico said suddenly.

Percy nodded and Clarisse shrugged. They both were acting weird. Clarisse, for one, was never this calm.

I let it go and repositioned my backpack on my right shoulder.

Nervousness filled me when I remembered we were going to have to shadow travel. I had never personally done it, but I had heard people saying it was the worst experience of their lives.

We stood up at the same time and the apple in my hand dissolved. Nico stood in the middle and I took his right hand in my own. His fingers were ice cold and clashed with my warm ones just like our auras had earlier. It sent a small electric shock through me and I shivered.

Percy and Clarisse both touched Nico's left arm and he closed his eyes. "This will be really unpleasant," he said and we sunk into the shadows.

The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't breathe. It was like I had been transported to a different planet without oxygen. The darkness swallowed me and tugged against my body, trying to pry me from Nico. But I held on as if my life depended on it. Which it did. He was my life line.

Suddenly we stumbled into a dark tunnel. Ghostly shadows from Greek fire on torches on the walls was the only light.

Nico let go of me and handed everyone a flashlight so we could see better. I flicked mine on and shined it around. There was endless darkness in all directions.

"This way," Nico said uncertainly, because none of us knew what 'this way' was.

We delved through the winding hallway. A stone floor made walking uncomfortable and the temperatures dropped the further we went.

There was no end. On and on, step after step, we continued. I could hear the slight breaths of the others, and just that tiny sound echoed with our steps across the halls.

"This is going to take forever," Clarisse said faintly, in a voice nowhere near her own, looking around.

About every 20 metres was a set of torches on the walls. They made the whole experience even worse.

Suddenly agonising screams pierced my ears as we turned a corner. They were torturous as if someone was being stabbed by one thousand poisoned daggers. While on fire.

"What is that?" I asked Nico, glancing at him. A green torch casted a glow across his face, making his sharp features even darker and more mysteriously brooding.

He looked down at me and I cursed his height compared to mine. While he was 6 foot, I was only 5'2.

"The Fields of Punishment," Nico said to me, eyes sliding away from mine to stare into the darkness. My stomach twisted.

Maybe my reaction showcased on my face, because he instinctively laced his fingers with my fingers as we fell into an even, swift pace. A sense of protection washed over me and I braced myself for what I would see in the Fields of Punishment.

A red light began to pulse in the distance. As we drew closer, I realised it was fire. Red and orange flames leaped up around a shallow chasm. In the chasm was acid, and around it lay littered bones. All of the damned souls wandering around bore chains and their sunken faces were twisted in agony. Screams shattered the atmosphere and I clutched Nico's hand even tighter.

The only source of silence came from our group. No one said a word as we walked away. Percy's face was paler than usual and Clarisse stared, her mouth forming an 'o.' Only Nico looked relatively the same, his mouth set in a painful stance and eyes trained anywhere but our closest surroundings.

"Will we pass by Elysium or Asphodel?" Clarisse asked.

"Probably not, if we keep going this way," Nico said, nodding to the direction we were walking. "But Elysium is to our left and Asphodel thousands of miles behind us. It's way in the middle of no where, most likely under Antarctica, because the souls of Asphodel have a tiny span of memory and wander a lot. Usually they don't leave Asphodel, but some do without even noticing. The deserted location keeps them relatively confined." He finished as if he said it everyday.

"Oh," she replied simply.

I set my teeth and kept looking ahead. We stayed silent again for a whole hour. Then we stopped and decided to have lunch, as we were all hungry.

I sat down and leaned against one of the cold stone walls, takin a drink from my water bottle I had brought with. Chips were passed around, along with grapes. I ate slowly, looking at all three of my companions in turn.

Percy and Nico seems to be having a silent discussion. They were making hand gestures and using eye-language.

Eye language?

Then Nico looked away from Percy, looking a little pissed off. He glanced at me and I gave him a questioning look.

"We have to split up," Nico said in a slightly disapproving voice.

"All of us?" I asked.

"No," Percy said. "We'll go in twos. You and Clarisse, Nico and me."

"I'm not leaving Thalia," Nico said suddenly, with a hard tone. He stared at Percy, almost daring him to disagree.

Percy opened his mouth as if he was about to, but then closed it and nodded stiffly. "Fine,"

My heart sped up a little when Nico said that, and I felt my face flushing a little. I looked down and played with a stray stein on my shorts.

"You expect us to walk through the underworld as partners, Death Boy?" Clarisse snapped.

I frowned to myself. She used that nickname as an insult, while whenever I used it, it was a joke.

"Yes, I do. If you want to save dozens of lives you'll get over your immature differences." Nico said in the same menacing tone he had used when I hurt my ankle.

"This is your turf! You should be the one down here–not us!"

"Clarisse, just shut the hell up!" I said suddenly, looking up with a murderous glare.

"Stop, you guys. Let's just go." Percy mumbled, standing up.

I did the same, realising I saw still shaking with anger. I curled and uncurled my fingers to calm down.

"Phones don't work down here, but take this." Nico tossed Percy a like green whistle. "These are for communication. The only person who can hear it is the one with the twin whistle," he said, holding up his own.

Percy nodded and slipped his on his camp necklace. "Got it."

"Good luck. Try not to get killed," Nico said, smirking.

Percy rolled his eyes but smiled a little in a bitter way. He and Clarisse turned and walked away in the other direction. I watched them until the black fog was too thick to see through.

"Thalia," Nico said an I looked back at him. He seemed to be in pain.

"We're not alone."

Scanning our surroundings, my eyes widened in fear.

"Hello, demigods." A misty voice said, almost hissing it. The sound was soothing in a cruel and forceful way.

My eyes fluttered.

And I fainted.


	7. AUTHOR'S NOTE (AN) - 2

**Hi!**

**So, my story is really progressing, huh? I'm so excited to introduce all of the plots and ideas I have stored for all of you, my faithful readers. Hopefully you're enjoying the story so far.**

**This AN has a reason, though, and it's that I need a Beta Reader. Just someone to read over my chapters before I release them and to help with wording, description, and giving me ideas/tips. **

**If anyone is interested, please PM me straight away! I would prefer someone who can return the story with feedback within a day, but everything can be worked out so it suits both of us. **

**Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 6

**Helloooo, readers!**

**I am absofreakinglutely sorry for not updating in so long. I just got a new laptop, so I can stop writing chapters from my iPod! Yay! I know I rudely left you all with a cliffhanger. Haha, I'm mean.**

**Anyway, I know some of you are wondering why the hell Thalia was acting waaay OOC in the last chapter. Let me assure you that this will all be explained in just a few paragraphs. Also, this chapter is dedicated to my amazing best friend, Faith, who helped me with BETAing. **

**I guess that's all I have to say right now. Please remember to REVIEW. **

3rd Person POV

"Stop humming!" Clarisse said angrily, gritting her teeth.

Percy sighed and tried not to say anything sarcastic back to her. The past hour they had been searching for the antidote, he and Clarisse had been bickering back and forth. Percy couldn't help his annoying habits like humming and tapping his fingers on walls; he was, after all, ADHD. And very, very nervous. This antidote could save Annabeth's life. If they didn't find it, she would – he couldn't bear to think of what would happen.

Percy stopped suddenly and Clarisse ran straight into him, swearing profusely.

"Clarisse, shut up and listen." Percy demanded, frowning.

"To what?!" she asked incredulously.

"Water. Dripping water." He murmured in response, his voice hardly above a whisper.

Clarisse opened her mouth to say something back and then slowly closed it, her eyes widening just a bit. She froze in place and then glanced at Percy in shock. "Water? But…"

"We must be near one of the Underworld's rivers." Said Percy, quickening his pace.

The two followed the sound through a tunnel to the left and came out in a huge cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites filled the room, glistening and seemingly catching some non-existent light.

"…Wow," The daughter of Ares said as she look in the whole scene.

A small river cut through the middle of it all, shimmering a light blue. It appeared through a small opening in one wall and disappeared through another.

Percy didn't say anything. Instead he walked slowly to the river and knelt beside it, staring down in awe. The water called to him, flowing gently by.

"Um, Jackson, what are you doing?"

Now Percy looked up, smiling. "Come look at the water, Clarisse."

"Okay, you're high." Clarisse mumbled, but did what he said. She peered down over his shoulder for a few seconds and then made a confusing face. "What's so great about it?"

Percy barely noticed the blood rushing in his ears or the faint white spots dancing across his vision. He was happy and peaceful. The sound of the water calmed him, lulling quietly….

And then Percy passed out.

Nico's POV

"Thalia!" I yelled, my voice echoing throughout the caverns.

No, I thought. She can't faint! Not now!

I didn't have any time to conquer up a plan or even try to help her, for a shadowy figure was looming in the darkness. The silhouette flickered mysteriously, kind of like a candle. Another sharp pain went through my body, starting down in my toes and moving quickly like an electric jolt to my head.

"Ah!" I said, swearing from the pain and doubling over. The hilt of my sword dug into my side and as I straightened out again, I unsheathed it. A small glow of light joined the silhouette and a ghostly voice laughed. It was no doubt female. She moved slowly into the light where I could see her. Instead of some huge demon monster, all I saw was a thin, tall lady with long, orange hair and grey eyes.

"Nico Di Angelo, Son of Hades. I see you made the unwise choice to venture into your father's realm. Surely you should know what kinds of demons lurk down here…"

I scowled and was about to give her a sarcastic reply when she glanced distastefully in Thalia's direction. The scene looked almost unsurprising to her, which sickened me further. I moved slowly back to cover Thalia but the bored expression on the monster lady's face seemed almost harmless. Shaking my head, I realised she was playing mind tricks to make me think Thalia was in no danger and neither was I. Fortunately, I could fight against her powers.

"And you've also managed to let your girlfriend fall unconscious. Touching."

"She's not – we're just – I…" the words wouldn't form. They were all too jumbled up. Finally I settled on something different. "Who are you?!" I yelled.

She laughed mirthlessly and smirked in a twisted way. "I am Aella, daughter of Rhea and Kronos."

I paled a bit. Kronos' daughter? That couldn't be good. And what was worse? This 'Aella' had two godly parents, making her also a goddess.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Revenge, that is what I want. Revenge for my father! You stupid demigods destroyed him and his plans to rule Olympus. And before you ask why I don't go after that retched Son of Poseidon, I figured I should get you and the Daughter of Zeus out of the way first. You're both too powerful to set aside for now. You must go first."

"Look, lady, you're never going to kill me or Thalia. I am in my home and this is where I am most powerful. I can easily take you." Once again, my arrogance took over.

"What if I made a deal with you? You and the girl come with me and I provide the Son of Poseidon and Daughter of Ares with the antidote they need?"

"How did you know Percy and Clarisse are looking for an antidote?" I demanded.

"I was the one who summoned the monsters and sent them to your camp. Destroying the demigods one by one would take up time, so as a group, things move much more quickly."

Staring at Aella in horror, I tried to get a better grasp on my sword, raising it in front of me. Behind myself, I could hear Thalia's laboured breathing. At least she was alive.

"I suppose I can put off killing them if it means acquiring the two demigods I want the most." Aella said thoughtfully, as if deciding she'd like pie instead of cake for dessert.

"There is no way in Hades I will make that kind of trade." I spat in disgust.

Aella looked at me with amusement. "Really, now? I thought saving hundreds of lives would be your priority."

"You thought wrong. Even if it means the affected demigods at Camp Half-Blood die, I will not let you harm Thalia." At this point I wasn't even thinking of myself. It was just her. Never had I felt the need to protect anyone like this before. Not even Bianca, who had always insisted on taking care of herself in these kinds of situations.

Something was really bothering me, though. Why had Thalia suddenly fainted? That was very unlike her. And why did I keep keeping sharp pains all through my body?

As if reading my mind, Aella smirked. "Concerned? I suppose the polite thing to do is to tell you what was going on 'medically' for you and your companion."

I gritted my teeth, trying not to explode in anger.

The goddess continued, speaking like someone would in an ordinary conversation. "You see, when I entered the Underworld, I placed a spell, courtesy of a son of Hectate, on the whole area. Without Hades even knowing, his energy is actually going straight to me. I control the Underworld now, and all this negative activity is taking a toll on you, the son of the man whose power I am stealing. As a result, you are also generously donating a bit of your energy, too. And in regards to your earlier statement, which, I may add, was hilariously self-assuring, you are not powerful in your home now. You are in fact, weaker."

"And Thalia?" I growled while trying not to seem fazed by what she had said.

"Oh, her?" Aella cast another glance at Thalia. "I don't know, to be honest. I have heard, though, that in similar scenarios, the one the supporter loves the most gets the worst."


	9. Chapter 7

**Hi, everyone. I know I haven't updated in forever. Obviously you can tell I'm a pretty busy and lazy person. But there is a solution: I could shorten my chapters a little and update more quickly. Currently my chapters are anywhere from 1,100 words to 2,000. It takes me a loooong time to write unless I have nothing else to do or have a lot to say and know exactly how to say it while I have time to write. So, I could get you chapters much more quickly if I started typing 500 words to 900 words chapters. The story would probably end up longer and something that takes me one chapter to explain now, would take two or three. I want your opinion, though. Please REVIEW and tell me if you'd rather wait and have a lengthy chapter, or have updates more quickly and shorter chapters. **

**I have decided to give you a 'sample' of what the smaller chapters would look like. The following content is about how much I would write. **

**Anyway, REVIEW! Enjoy.**

Thalia's POV

I felt extremely dizzy. The world was spinning at a sickeningly fast rate, and my insides felt like they belonged outside.

But there was one problem. I couldn't see or feel anything else. It was total darkness all around me and I couldn't move, no matter how hard I tried.

I could hear one voice, though, telling me in a wary and tired way to wake up.

Wake up…

Wake up…

"Wake up, Thalia. Please." The voice was insistent now, with a pleading note.

Finally I tried hard enough, and was able to tilt my head slightly. I forced my eyes open and was hit with a blinding white light. Then everything settled down and I was able to adjust to my surroundings. It took me a while to realise that Nico was leaning over me, his silky black hair falling in his face.

I couldn't quite see his eyes, but I'm pretty sure a bit of relief crossed them. I knew I was correct when he sighed and leaned down, gathering me tightly in a one-armed hug.

"Thalia. Oh gods, I was getting worried." He said, pulling away awkwardly.

"What… what happened?" I asked, trying to sit up. Another wave of dizziness washed over me and my eyes widened as I leaned back against the wall.

"Don't try to move too much." Nico instructed. He stood up and rummaged around in his backpack. He pulled out a granola bar and a bottle of water.

"Here," he said, handing them to me. "Eat and I'll explain."

I opened the granola bar and took a bite, waiting for him to start talking.

"Well, remember when we were walking and I said that we weren't alone?"

I strained to remember what he was talking about. Everything was blank, but then a hazy memory came back to me.

"Yeah,"

"After you fainted, I met the daughter of Kronos and Rhea, Aella. She wants revenge for the defeat of her father. She's trying to take over the world, starting with the Underworld. Slowly she is draining mine and my father's power. It's not safe here. We have to find Percy and Clarisse and leave."

"We can't just leave." I argued. "If we do, hundreds of campers will die. _Annabeth_ will die. And you know Percy won't leave without the antidote, Nico."

Nico sighed and ran his hand through his hair. You could tell he hand done a lot of thinking on this subject. "Thals, _we_ will die if we stay." He looked at me for my reply, but I just sat there and stared back. Finally he looked away and leaned against the wall.

"I've never told anyone this. But when Bianca... died… she visited me once. She warned me about something like this. She told me that I would experience something terrible at 'home.' I never got what she meant. I always thought she was talking about camp, but nothing ever occurred. Now I know she meant here. The Underworld. This is what she was talking about."

I looked up at him, glancing out of my peripheral vision. "How did she know?"

Nico shook his head slowly and his hair fell into his eyes. "I have no idea."

I was suddenly really tired. A strange dizziness came over me and I leaned against Nico. He reacted by putting his arm around me and rubbing my back. "Go to sleep, Thalia." He encouraged me. "We'll stay here for a while and rest until you feel up to leaving."

"Okay," I said quietly, closing my eyes.

It felt nice to have Nico next to me and I remembered the first night I had showed up at his house and we had fell asleep together. That night I had gone to sleep easily, feeling like everything was alright. That was how I felt now. Nothing could hurt me as long as Nico was there.

Nico kissed my forehead just as I slipped away from the real world and into my own.

"Goodnight, Thalia."

**One note – how Nico got 'rid' of Aella will be included in the next chapter. If it was in this chapter, it would've been too long and out of the example 500 to 800 word chapter. (; ****OH! And one more thing: This story may be switched to rated M soon. Hehe. I'll always give you warnings before M content because I don't want to scar anyone.**


End file.
